Shapiro named prexy at Participant TV: Exec spent last four years as topper of Sundance, IFC

April 16, 2012|Stuart Levine | Variety

Evan Shapiro is the new president of Participant Television. After eight years at IFC and Sundance and serving as president for the last four, Shapiro arrives at Participant as it's looking to ramp up the TV output. A strong feature film player in the docu space, the shingle has produced such pics as "An Inconvenient Truth," "Waiting for Superman" and "The Cove." Reporting directly to Participant Media CEO Jim Berk, Shapiro will be responsible for the conception, development and production of original television programming that will follow the company's model of commercial and socially relevant entertainment. "Expanding Participant's brand of storytelling into television is both a natural progression and integral part of our expansion strategy," Berk said. "Evan's tremendous impact in transforming the IFC and Sundance networks, combined with his genuine interest in socially relevant media, make him the perfect choice." Shapiro told Variety: "There comes a time where you have to decide what you want to do when you grow up. I turn 45 in a couple of weeks and when I started talking to Jim about what I wanted to do in the next 10 years in my life, I kept coming back to the mission of this company, which is that everyday matters." Participant will be starting their TV division from the ground up, and Shapiro believes that speaking to the millennial generation will be a way to have the shingle's programs make an impact not only in ratings but in cultural awareness of world events. He also added that although the film division has a specialty with docus, Participant TV will dabble in both scripted and nonfiction programming. "It's about the generation of millenials and what they are looking for," Shapiro continued. "The mission allows us to go to different genres as long as we are true to who we are. Younger folks are focused on things being meaningful, and original content can get them engaged. Shapiro is not expected to be replaced at the AMC-owned cablers. Jennifer Caserta and Sarah Barnett are the general managers at IFC and Sundance, respectively, and handle day-to-day operations. Shapiro was more of an overview exec who worked closely with chief operating officer Ed Carroll on corporate strategy. Shapiro's credits as an exec producer include "Brick City" and "Portlandia." "Evan is a dedicated executive and leader and under his direction, IFC and Sundance Channel benefitted greatly from his business savvy, creativity and boundless enthusiasm and energy," said AMC in a statement. "We thank him for his enormous contributions and we wish him the best in this new endeavor."